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Dodger Fan's Bone Marrow Donation Saves Life Of Young Giants Fan

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A bone marrow donation from a Dodgers fan has saved the life of a young Giants fan suffering from a rare genetic disease.

North Carolina man Joey Hilburn told WGHP-TV he joined a bone marrow donor network after he and his wife saw a report about marrow donation on the news.

"Before I swabbed my cheeks, I said a prayer that this would be useful and this would eventually lead to something," Hilburn told WGHP. "After that I went on with my life."

A few months after that, this Dodgers fan received a notice that he turned out to be a match for a young Giants fan, Ryan Clanton of Lodi in San Joaquin County.

The boy was suffering from Fabconi Anemia, which usually leads to bone marrow failure and death.

It turned to be a perfect match. "There are 14 different markers that they're looking for, as far as matching. They're hoping for seven – seven is good," Hilburn told WGHP. "We were a perfect match. It was 14 out of 14."

Hilburn told the National Marrow Donor Program that he and his wife recently went to visit Ryan and his family and that the bond and love they now all share grew even deeper and stronger.

For information on how you can be a bone marrow donor, contact the National Marrow Donor Program.

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